Well-rested Hawks look forward to busy stretch after COVID pause

Enough is enough.

That pretty much sums up how the Blackhawks feel after yet another practice at Fifth Third Arena on Thursday.

It's not like they don't appreciate the extra time to hone their skills, work on the penalty kill and clean some things up.

But it'll be 13 days without a game when they finally butt heads with division rival Nashville on Saturday.

"It's time to get back and play some hockey," said interim coach Derek King.

Yes, indeed.

The Hawks will be playing a lot of hockey, too, assuming there are no more cancellations. After the Predators, the Hawks face Calgary on Sunday, Colorado on Tuesday, Arizona on Thursday and Vegas Jan. 8.

That's five games in eight days after not seeing a single foe in nearly two weeks.

"We're sick of practicing against each other," said defenseman Jake McCabe. "We're ready to play and compete and do what we love. It's exciting that we do have this many games coming up. Frankly, we've got a lot of ground to make up, so we've got to get on a run here.

"You string a couple together early and all of a sudden you're feeling good, and keep playing games, keep playing games, and that can be a recipe for success."

The 11-15-4 Hawks, who had four games postponed between Dec. 21 and 29, are 14th in the Western Conference with 26 points. Colorado and Edmonton occupy the two wild-card spots with 36 points each.

PK progress?

With the Hawks yielding 12 power-play goals in their last eight games, there was a huge emphasis on the penalty kill this week at Fifth Third Arena. The last two games were particularly bad, with Nashville going 2-for-5 on the power play Dec. 17 and Dallas going 3-for-8 the next night.

"You don't practice it enough, if at all," said interim coach Derek King. "Now we've actually broke it down where we're running a practice based on PK, so I think it went well. I liked it. ...

"I don't want to take a lot of penalties, but you're bound to take one or two, and I like the fact that our guys are going into games ... (and) know their jobs."

Try, try again

Like many of us, Derek King has made New Year's resolutions in the past. A couple examples:

• Have one glass of red wine a night instead of two.

• Drop 10 pounds so he doesn't have to buy new suits.

But King's not making any for 2022, instead hoping his Hawks resolve to start winning a lot more.

"I just hope this team has put themselves in a position that we're competing for ... a wild card or a playoff spot," King said.

Slap shots

Although Jujhar Khaira has participated in the last three practices, Derek King isn't sure if the forward will be cleared to face the Predators. ... The Hawks added goalie Arvid Soderblom to the taxi squad Wednesday. Soderblom is 4-5-0 with a .915 save percentage for Rockford. That save percentage is tied for sixth in the AHL among qualified players.

He said it

"It's been really nice for me and my wife. It's gone from zone coverage to man-on-man."

- Defenseman Jake McCabe, whose wife gave birth to a baby boy in early December